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Records Retention

Effective Date: March 13, 2003

Last Reviewed: July 1, 2015

Review by: July 1, 2016

Purpose

This Records Retention Policy sets forth the policies and procedures of Meharry Medical
College (the “College”) for the identification, retention, storage, protection and
disposal of College records, including all books, records, agreements, purchase orders,
memoranda and correspondence. This Records Retention Policy is intended to ensure
that the College’s records management policies adhere to customer, legal and business
requirements and are conducted in a cost-efficient manner.

This policy seeks to promote compliance with federal, state, and other legal requirements
for record retention; to promote the efficient management, sharing, and transfer of
information among authorized College staff within prescribed security standards; to
effectively utilize limited office space for active records and utilize low-cost,
remote storage space for inactive records; to dispose of records no longer needed
to satisfy legal, regulatory or other requirements; to ensure that no record is disposed
of unless authorized; to ensure the preservation of records of permanent value; and
to ensure that record retention policies, schedules and procedures are reviewed and
modified as necessary to respond to changes in technology or regulations.

It is the College’s policy to maintain complete, accurate, and high quality records.
Records are to be retained for the period of their immediate use, unless longer retention
is necessary for historical reference, contractual, legal or regulatory requirements,
or for other purposes as set forth herein. Records that are no longer required, or
have satisfied their required periods of retention, shall be destroyed in an appropriate
manner.

The College and its employees recognize the importance of maintaining the integrity
of its documents in conformity with this Records Retention Policy. In connection therewith,
it is the College's policy to maintain its documents as they existed at the time of
their creation without any tampering or alteration.

Policy Statement

This Records Retention Policy applies to all College records. A College record is
any documentary material, including documentary material in paper and electronic form
that is generated or received by the College in connection with the transaction of
its business. A record that includes both business and personal information, such
as an appointment calendar, is also a College record. All records that are generated
or received by a College employee in the scope of his or her employment belong to
the College, not to the individual employee. This Records Retention Policy applies
to all College-affiliated facilities, including, but not limited to, ambulatory surgery
centers, clinics and all College Departments, Divisions and Groups for which the College
is responsible for business records.